Adult Education & Workforce Development

Adult Basic Education

The Bishop State Community College Adult Basic Education Program is a comprehensive educational program aimed at preparing adults age 16 and over for Pearson Vue’s GED Tests (General Educational Development). The GED Tests cover the academic knowledge and skills learned in four years of high school: reading, writing, social studies, science, and mathematics. The goal of the Bishop State Adult Education Program is to successfully prepare students for the GED Tests through instruction in math, language, and reading.

TABE Assessment Testing

To enroll in the Bishop State Adult Education Program, all individuals must participate in orientation. Orientation will allow our Adult Education faculty and staff the opportunity to welcome all new and returning participants. Participants will also develop and set goals, understand the parts of the GED and specify technology needs. Additionally, the TABE test will be administered to identify strengths and areas that need improvement in reading, language and math.

Orientation is held on Bishop State’s Caver Campus at 414 Stanton Rd. Mobile AL. 36617. To schedule an appointment, participants can use the link below to register.

https://forms.office.com/r/2qWdBCuyB5

Career Pathway Programs

All career pathway programs are offered free of charge

• CNA
• Phlebotomy
• Medication Assistant
• CDL Class B Permit
• Logistics
• Hospitality Front of the House
• Hospitality Back of the House

Certifications:

• OSHA 10
• OSHA 30
• ACT Workkeys National Career Readiness Certificate
• NorthStar Digital Literacy

Contact Information:

Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning

The Division of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning offers career readiness and professional and personal development opportunities through the following programs: 

• Workforce Development 
• Contract Training 
• Distance Learning Education 
• High-Stakes Testing 
• Assessment Testing (Adult Basic Education and TABE) 
• WorkKeys for Education, Employers, and Economic Development. 
• Ready-to-Work 

Contract Training Programs

Cost-effective, Customized and Convenient 

Bishop State can design a training program that’s right for you, your business and your employees. 

A recent National Workforce Development study shows that businesses are turning to community colleges for training because it is cost-effective and convenient for them and their employees. While big industry is still the largest customer of community college training programs, the study showed businesses of all sizes are discovering the advantages of Bishop State’s contract training. Bishop State is proud to be at the forefront of this national trend. We’ve been building partnerships with area businesses and industries for decades by offering training assistance that keeps our local economy growing and our local citizens working. 

Training to Keep Your Employees on the Cutting Edge of Technology 

Training is an essential tool for success in any business. In today’s globally competitive marketplace, workers must have the opportunity to upgrade their skills on an ongoing basis. The current work environment demands that workers be lifelong learners to keep abreast of today’s technological changes, update current job skills, and prepare for the skills of tomorrow. Bishop State has developed customized contract training programs that really work for businesses and meet the workforce training needs of all types of industry. Our programs are specifically designed to meet the requirements of your business operation. 

Here are some of the benefits of Bishop State’s contract training programs, which are: 

• Customized. We assess and identify your specific needs and develop programs to meet them. We can even design a program around your long-range business plan. 
• Flexible. Training can be offered on-site at your business or on one of our convenient campuses. We can work with new employees, current employees or returning employees. Also, we can modify training for your company as your business needs change. 
• Cost-effective. You’ll find effective quality training programs at affordable prices for your business. 
• Many industries have found our program a great alternative to expensive in-house training programs. 
• Suitable for companies of all sizes. Our contract training programs are suited for companies of all sizes: major corporations, mid-sized business operations, and small companies. 

Distance Learning

The mission of the Distance Education Department at Bishop State is to develop and deliver innovative learning experiences and promote student success through the purposeful integration of teaching and learning with technology in order to foster continuous learning, communication, and collaboration throughout Bishop State Community College and the extended community.

The goal of Distance Education at Bishop State Community College is to provide all qualified and willing persons an effective alternative path for life-long learning in higher education that is cost efficient for the College and student.

To learn more about the College’s distance learning programs, contact us at 251-405-7169 or visit the webpage, https://www.bishop.edu/student-services/student-support/online-learning

WorkKeys® Solutions Provider

WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system that measures real-world skills, and: 

• connects work skills, training, and testing for education and employers; 
• makes it easier to meet the requirements of federal programs and legislation; 
• supports economic and workforce development programs; and 
• is the basis for the National Career Readiness Certificate. 

To learn more about WorkKeys Solutions, please visit http://www.workkeys.com. 

WorkKeys® for Education

The WorkKeys job skill assessment system is used in high schools and community and technical colleges across the country to measure real-world skills.

• Educators use it to help students identify career interests, current skills or additional training needed to prepare for jobs.
• Students can learn more about preparing for the WorkKeys test and how to use WorkKeys scores to determine possible job interests.
• Parents can use it as a guide to help their son or daughter with future career plans.

WorkKeys® for Employers

High Turnover? Hard to Find and Keep Qualified Employees?

Does any of this sound familiar?

• Turnover level keeps you awake at night.
• Hiring qualified workers is a constant challenge.
• Your training efforts and training dollars don’t show measurable results.
• Your staff is working overtime and double shifts to make up for staff shortages and high turnover.

WorkKeys, ACT’s workplace assessment tool - the gold standard in skills testing - is used by thousands of companies worldwide. WorkKeys uses the same scale to score tests and measure job skills for quick comparisons between a person’s skill levels and the job requirements.

WorkKeys® and Economic Development Using WorkKeys®

A growing number of states, communities, and organizations are choosing the WorkKeys® system as the foundation for career readiness initiatives that energize their economic development and workforce strategies. Many of these initiatives incorporate the principles of the National Career Readiness Certificate™ by issuing state and local credentials that align with the national system.

Credentials that utilize three WorkKeys assessments - Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Readiness for Information - share many of the benefits provided by the National Career Readiness System. State and national programs that use this framework can achieve even greater outcomes by fully adopting the National Career Readiness Certificate as part of comprehensive workforce and economic development strategies. Broad use of WorkKeys to empower state, regional and local strategies demonstrates its capabilities to address a wide range of workforce and economic development objectives.

WorkKeys® and the Career Readiness Certificate™

The Career Readiness Certificate™ (CRC), based on the WorkKeys® job skills assessment system, gives employers and career seekers a uniform measure of key workplace skills.

Certificate Levels
Individuals who score at certain levels on the three WorkKeys assessments will qualify for a certificate. The three WorkKeys assessments are as follows: Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information.

Which Certificate Is Needed?

To learn the average WorkKeys scores needed by job title for more than 400 occupations, visit www.workkeys.com. Additional information is available at www.bishop.edu and www.alworkforce.dpe.edu.

There are 4 levels an individual may earn: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.

Bronze Level - Core employability skills for approximately 30% of jobs listed

Silver Level - Core employability skills for approximately 65% of jobs listed

Gold Level - Core employability skills for approximately 90% of jobs listed

Platinum Level - Core employability skills for approximately 99% of jobs listed

Employers - Demand a Skilled Workforce

When you recommend or require the Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) for jobs in your workplace, you’ll tap into the most qualified labor pool in your area. When an applicant walks in with a CRC, you’ll be guaranteed that he or she possess basic foundational skills.

Use the certificate as a tool for:

• Screening - Save time by interviewing only applicants who have the skills required for your jobs.
• Hiring and promotion - A National Career Readiness Certificate can be used as a “plus” factor to help you make selection and promotion decisions.
• Targeting employee training and development - Save money by using your training budget on employees with skill gaps.

Line Worker Training

Program Information

Line workers, also known as line installers or repairers, install or repair electrical power systems and telecommunications cables, including fiber optics. Complex networks of physical power lines and cables provide consumers with electricity, landline telephone communication, cable television, and Internet access. Line workers are responsible for installing and maintaining these networks. Line installers and repairers can specialize in different areas depending on the type of network and industry in which they work: Electrical power-line installers and repairers install and maintain the power grid-the network of power lines that moves electricity from generating plants to customers. They routinely work with high-voltage electricity, which requires extreme caution.

Telecommunications line installers and repairers install and maintain the lines and cables used by network communications companies. Depending on the service provided-local and long-distance telephone, cable television, or Internet-telecommunications companies use different types of cables, including fiber optic cables.

Because these systems are complicated, many line workers also specialize by duty: Line installers install new cable. They may work for construction contractors, utilities, or telecommunications companies. Workers generally start a new job by digging underground trenches or erecting utility poles and towers to carry the wires and cables. They use a variety of construction equipment, including digger derricks, which are trucks equipped with augers and cranes used to dig holes and set poles in place.

Line repairers are employed by utilities and telecommunications companies that maintain existing power and telecommunications lines. Maintenance needs may be identified in a variety of ways, including remote monitoring, aerial inspections, and by customer reports of service outages.

Occupational Choices

Overall employment of line installers and repairers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Electrical power-line installers and repairers held about 122,400 jobs in 2022 and there are 125,800 projected for 2032.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenanceand-repair/line-installers-andrepairers.htm (visited January 30, 2024).

Average Full-Time Wage

The median annual wage for electrical power-line installers and repairers was $82,340 in May 2022. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $47,070, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $114,590.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenanceand-repair/line-installers-andrepairers.htm (visited January 30, 2024).

Additional Requirements

Minimum age of 18 years old.

High School Diploma

TABE test

Negative Drug Test

Duration

• 10 hours per day
• 5 days per week
• 10-week course

Assistance

100% funding is available through the Alabama Career Center. For information regarding eligibility and application for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), please contact an Alabama Career Center.

Scholarship opportunities may be available

This award in non-credit and is not Pell Grant eligible.

Location  

This training program is offered at Bishop State Community College Southwest Location, 925 Dauphine Island Parkway Mobile, AL 36605.

Awards Available

Certification

Line Worker

Program Contact

Daphne Stamps

Industry Liaison

251-665-4130

dstamps@bishop.edu

Classes Required

• OSHA 10
• Construction and Skills Trades (CAST) Test Prep
• Basic Pole Climbing
• CPR/First Aid
• Truck Driving Overview

Material Familiarization

• Basic Electricity
• Interpersonal Skills
• Ladder Safety/Post Hole Diggers • Knots, Sledgehammer
• Rigging Switches: Use and care of Hand Line
• Resume writing/Mock Interviews
• Ladder Safety/Post Hole Diggers • Knots, Sledgehammer
• Rigging Switches: Use and care of Hand Line
• Resume writing/Mock Interviews
• Climbing and Working Aloft • Mechanized Equipment
• Basic Line Construction/Pole top Rescue
• Traffic Control
• Chainsaw
• Class A CDL Driver Training

All Line Worker Information can be found on the Bishop State Community College Website

www.bishop.edu/programs/workforce-devlopement/line-worker-program

Program Length & Cost

HVAC FAST TRACK

Program Information

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers-often called HVAC technicians-typically do the following:

• Install, maintain, and repair HVACR systems.
• Install electrical components and wiring.
• Inspect and test HVACR systems and components.
• Discuss system malfunctions with customers.
• Repair or replace worn or defective parts.
• Recommend maintenance to improve system performance.
• Keep records of work performed.

HVAC technicians ensure that heating and air conditioning systems work properly to control the temperature, humidity, and overall air quality in buildings. Some HVAC technicians specialize in one or more aspects of HVACR, such as radiant heating systems, testing and balancing, or commercial refrigeration in establishments such as grocery stores, hotels, and restaurants. In addition, some technicians focus on installing HVACR systems while others primarily repair and maintain them.

HVAC technicians who specialize in residential systems may sell service contracts to their customers, providing periodic maintenance of heating and cooling systems. The service usually includes inspecting the system, cleaning ducts, replacing filters, and checking refrigerant levels.

When installing or repairing air conditioning and refrigeration systems, technicians must follow regulations regarding the conservation, recovery, and recycling of refrigerants. These regulations concern the proper handling and disposal of fluids and pressurized gases.

Occupational Choices

Overall Employment of the HVAC technicians is projected to grow 9 percent from 2023-2033, much faster than the average.

HVAC technicians held 441,000 jobs in 2023. About 42,500 openings for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration in stallers, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm#tab-2 (visited March 10, 2025).

Average Full-Time Wage

The median annual wage for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers was $57,300 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $37,270, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $84,250.

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm#tab-2 (visited March 10, 2025).

Additional Requirements

Minimum age of 18 years old.

High School Diploma

TABE test

Duration

10 hours per day

5 days per week

12-week course  

Financial Assistance

100% funding is available through the Alabama Career Center. For information regarding eligibility and application for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), please contact an Alabama Career Center.

Mobile Career Center: (251)-461-4146

Scholarship opportunities may be available

This award in non-cred and is not Pell Grant eligible

Location  

This training program is offered at Bishop State Community College Southwest Location, 925 Dauphine Island Parkway Mobile, AL 36605.

Awards Available

Certification

HVAC FAST TRACK

Program Contact

Daphne Stamps

Industry Liaison

251-665-4130

dstamps@bishop.edu

Classes Required

• 1501 Fundamentals for Troubleshooting HVA C Refrigerant Systems
• 1502 Fund for Troubleshooting HVA C Electrical Systems
• 1503 Troubleshooting HVAC Refrigerant Systems.
• 1504 Troubleshooting HVAC Electrical Systems
• 1505 Servicing’s HVAC Refrigerant Systems
• 1201 Foundations for Troubleshooting Gas Furnaces
• 1802 AL Power Course: Residential Load Calculations
• 1803 AL Power Course: Residential Duct Design
• 1807 Duct Board Fabrications and Installations
• 1905 Refrigerant Recovery Certification Training.

All HVAC FAST TRACK Information can be found on the Bishop State Community College Website

https://www.bishop.edu/programs/workforce-development/hvac-fast-track

Program Length & Cost